


imagine TVD but it's actually good

by Alexxya



Category: The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Bonnie deserved better, F/M, Gen, I Was Drunk When I Wrote This, I like Damon but even he deserved better, Klaus is not dumb, Rants, Salvatore Bashing (Vampire Diaries), Stefan is my hero, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, poor Elena is just a trophy for the boys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:26:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27866833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alexxya/pseuds/Alexxya
Summary: Do you have opinions about the show? Do you feel disappointed and let down by the last few seasons?Me too! Read some of my hot takes if you want to get confirmation bias or argue with me in the comments.
Relationships: Bonnie Bennett/Damon Salvatore, Damon Salvatore & Stefan Salvatore, Elena Gilbert/Damon Salvatore, Elena Gilbert/Stefan Salvatore
Comments: 20
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

1\. The show went downhill after the first half of season 4.

The first three seasons (season 2 especially) had such a tight narrative and they had weight to them, _actions had consequences_. But as time went on, fanservice was prioritized over telling a good story. I understand that DE had to be a thing and I like the inclusion of the sirebond because it's true to the books, but the way they handled it is a mess. They didn't address that every choice Elena made was influenced by Damon, they just treated it as a plot device to get them together, and then it was forgotten. As far as I've seen, even DE fans are upset over how they handled them getting together.

2\. The second half of season 4 introduced another show problem, which got even bigger in season 5: the writing's inability to stick with anything.

-Jeremy dies? He's back by the end of the season(ep 15-22).

-Elena turns her humanity off? She's back to normal before the season ends (ep 16-19).

-Elena is sired to Damon? Well, looks like Damon making her turn her humanity off fixed everything (which doesn't make any sense).

-Older vampires are stronger than younger ones? Elena fights Katherine and Stefan has to save her (again K vs E is 500 years vs a few months).

-With season 5 it gets ridiculous, especially the way they trample established lore (and characters): doppelgangers are nature's way of balancing the spell that made Klaus a hybrid and they appear once every 500 years, but in season 5 they aren't about Klaus, it's about a love story (not only does this negate the stakes of season 2 -Klaus finally has his chance to be the hybrid-, but it also makes Klaus look like an idiot -he missed out on many dopple pairs and it's kinda pathetic that he hunted Katherine for so long when she didn't doom him on waiting 500 years-).

-This same problem is the reason the writing for DE was so inconsistent: they weren't able to stick with the narrative "we're toxic" nor "we're fighting destiny to be together", so they did both, which was just a mess.

3\. The worldbuilding hurt the show because it made everything feel so small.

The original vampires are just a group of 5 siblings, they've been living since forever and they've never done anything with weight. In TVD you never get the sense that there are bigger things outside the control of the main cast because even the originals are just some sassy vampires with family issues.

Even Twilight got this right: with the Volturi you get the sense there are bigger things outside the main story which could be explored.

In TVD everything happened in Mystic Falls, two random vampire brothers are involved in everything big (dropping the veil of the Other side, the curse of the original, they're the firsts to kill an Original, they become servants of the devil). You're going to tell me that everyone outside the little group in MF is an idiot who gets no action?

4\. The show relied too much on the love triangle, as if without it there would be no more show.

This is false. The driving force of the show was two characters dead on the inside learning to live again (Stefan and Elena) and Damon figuring out life without Katherine. They had so many ideas and characters to explore, but they kept the triangle at the forefront. This is why most of the characters are static and the plot feels like it's going nowhere (which it is, because everything they choose to write is done so in order to prop up the love triangle).

5\. For some reason, they denied characters the chance to shine, even when the plot was begging them to.

Bonnie (and Tyler and Jeremy) is the best example of this. She gets shafted and pushed to the side constantly (one of the reasons being the constant gate keeping the writers do when it comes to Bonnie). Instead of having real moments with characters, they keep giving filler to Caroline. With the amount of screen time she has, you'd think she has compelling character arcs.

Ha! No. After season 2, she doesn't change at all. She does things, she jokes, she has her humanity off at some point to make her do something interesting, but she never changes. _This character has had her body used so many times without her consent_ _and at no point does she ever snap or feel any way about it_ : Damon uses her for blood and sex, Katherine uses her to send a message, Klaus was going to use her (and Tyler) for the hybrid spell, the twins use her as an incubator. It's just like I said, it's filler written for her.

6\. I can't talk about this show without mentioning the treatment of people of color.

It's not that bad things can't happen to them, they're still a character after all, it's that it's constantly happening to them and with Bonnie she's never allowed to express her emotion on screen and do something about it. In a way, it's like the problem with Caroline, but Bonnie gets misery filler instead of happy stuff. And with Bonnie, _storylines that fit her character better are constantly given to other characters,_ for eg:

-Why was Caroline the one to talk with Abby when she wanted to leave?

-Why was Klaus suddenly obsessed with Caroline when he had a canon liking of witches?

-If they wanted to have a tribrid in The Originals, why did they have Hailey be the mother, making Hope 3/4 werewolf, 1/4 vampire and I guess some part witch from her grandmother when if Bonnie was the mother, it'd make Hope a true tribrid 1/4 vampire, 1/4 werewolf and 1/2 witch?


	2. OCs in TVD fanfiction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot twist! "imagine TVD but it's actually good" will also include hot takes on the tvd fanfiction, because it's a part of the tvd community and by extension the show.
> 
> Disclaimer: Please take everything I say with a grain of salt. I'm not trying to insult fanfiction writers or readers for their preferences. I've read plenty of ff stories in my life and I've written a few. Everyone should read and write what they find enjoyable. In the chapters on tvd fanfiction, I'll go over my personal tastes and preferences.

An OC is an original character invented by the fanfiction author and added to the tvd universe in the story they're writing. They are different from SI (self-inserts), who, as the name suggests, are supposed to be the writer of the fanfiction. I'm not talking about them in this chapter and I don't think I'll ever write a piece dedicated to them. In my opinion, if you want to insert yourself in a universe and wreak havoc or be wooed by your favorite character, more power to you.

In the TVD fandom, OCs are generally women and they are introduced mainly in romance stories. This is to be expected given the nature of the show and the largely female demographic for both the show and fanfiction. I've noticed a few clear categories of OCs. 

1\. The other Gilbert

If I'm being honest, it is this category that got me inspired to write this rant. The vast majority of OCs are of this type. It's the classic "what if Elena had a twin" AU. I'll go on to explain how much I dislike this and why.

In almost all of these types of stories, the twin is brought in for the sole purpose of (for the lack of a better word) suck Damon's dick off. The story starts generally in season 1 or 2, because how could you explain Elena's twin not being mentioned later on. Elena still has her romance with Stefan and at the same time, the sister starts having something with Damon. And as the chapters progress, we get to see how SE and Damon/OC get to respond to the plot points that happen on the show (eg. Halloween party, the tomb vampires get out, Klaus comes in looking for a doppelganger). This is the gist of it. 

My main problem is that the OC was created and introduced not to bring in conflict and push the other characters in new directions. They are just a prop for Damon. They are generally a virginal 18-year old who is or sweet and caring like Elena or more alternative to fit in with Damon's style. They fall for him instantly, even though they don't intend to ("he was a bad boy I should stay away from") and they remain loyal to him all throughout.

Why is that?

Seeing as fanfiction is a response to a craving the show created but didn't serve on, this type of OC was created just for that. The show makes it a great point that Damon is the second choice of both Katherine and Elena, who love his brother more than him. Damon has a great yearning to be with Elena, the sweet version of Katherine (I can expand on this in another chapter if I get enough requests), but Elena chooses Stefan (because it will always be Stefan), so he experiences a great amount of suffering because of it (I'm in love with a woman I can never have). The viewers want to see Damon finally get what he's been wanting all this time because he's charming, he has an interesting backstory, he is snarky and hot.

Boom, the other Gilbert is born. Not only will she be all about Damon and never about Stefan, but she also will never experience (or have experienced) interest in another guy. She is a virgin that looks exactly like Elena that Damon gets to deflower and keep all to himself. The other Gilbert is a prop and a bad one at that. It doesn't question anything about Damon's character and desires, it's there just to fulfill him.

I hate this type of OC the most because to me it represents the worst aspect of OCs and sadly the most common one. When people think about OCs, they think about characters like this, not interesting new characters that could be a part of the original material.

I like Damon. I think he is an interesting character. I think many enjoyable stories could be written with him. Which is why it grinds my gears that fanfiction authors throw all these teen girls at him to have fun with and stroke his ego. Damon falling for Elena is a key moment in his character journey because of **why** it happened. No one ever writes about what it meant that Damon was willing to instantly forgive Katherine **for the 145 of deception she gave him** (this is desperation and moreso, it's a sign of a lack of self-respect), they write about Damon going to the other Gilbert for them to "comfort" him. You would think there's an opportunity for great commentary on his character with the introduction of a second girl looking like Katherine that he falls for, but no. We don't think that far in this house. (Side note: I think many gullible people see Damo's willingness to outright forgive Katherine as a sign of love and devotion, but to anyone who pays a bit of attention, it's a huge red flag for deeper issues).

It leaves a much less sour taste in the mouth when it's not Elena's twin, but let's not get it twisted. Be it sister, Jeremy's twin, cousin, the other Gilbert serves the same function in the story.

2\. The "I'm not a Gilbert" 

The women in this category were invented because writers got tired of reading about Damon getting together with an Elena look-alike so they created a character that is much more individual than the other Gilbert on the surface, but deep down they're still there to make Damon feel better. She might be a Salzman, a Forbes or a Lockwood. It doesn't matter. She is still around Elena's age and the beginning of Damon's relationship with her is largely similar to the other Gilbert.

The story tends to unfold in a much more unique manner because the writer has to come up with a way to involve the non-Gilbert OC into the main plot. So she'll become Klaus's toy or she'll work to bring down Katherine or she'll get turned by Elijah into a vampire and compelled to follow his orders. I've always found that this type of character doesn't mold itself with the plot very well. It feels like the story is jumping through hoops in order to justify their existence. It always feels like we get to the point of asking "why are you here" because the truth is this oc is not needed. They don't even take the story in a completely new direction or introduce a new concept/lore. They are literally just another character that needs to be juggled in the "Klaus wants to sacrifice Elena to undo the curse" plotline. With The other Gilbert you get the sense that weird shit will go down because there are essentially two doppelgangers for Klaus, so with them, the drama writes itself generally. 

And the non Gilbert woman never has her own agenda or inner drive. It's still something along the lines of "I just want to get by and survive highschool" until the plot happens.

3\. The "I'm here to love on side characters"

This is the most innocent type of OC and not as frequent. The big majority of OCs are written to be with Damon, with a majority of them being Elena's twin and the rest being the "I'm not a Gilbert". So these women don't fall for Damon. They usually go for Klaus or Elijah or Stefan or even Jeremy. The writer generally wants to give some love and happiness for the male character they like. These stories tend to be short and self-contained. They are cute for what they are.

4\. The male OC

Does this category even exist? I added it in the name of science. Lol. If anyone knows any story with a male OC that is not a SI, please do tell.

5\. The "when do you appear on the show" character

When this character is on the page, you feel the plot vibrate, you feel that things are about to go down, you feel like you're experiencing an actual story. It's like when we met Rebekah for the first time or when Kai appeared. You get the sense that there is a history behind the character and they are not here to serve any of the current characters. They add value to the plot, they introduce new lore and information. Like how Rebekah told us about the necklace and Kai about the twin merging. 

What I'm trying to get at is that with these characters, you can't take your eyes off them. They capture you, they interest you, you want to know more about them and their past and their goals. Because they give off the impression that there is something there. There is, because with this type of character a lot of work and thought was put into them.

I'll admit that this type of OC that could easily blend into the original material is much more common in other fandoms. But there's at least one in this fandom that fits into this category and is treated as a main character. If you don't immediately recall her name, honestly, shame on you for not checking out my author page and reading my story. Yes, I'm talking about miss Kaithlyn Downright from my story The Rising. It's the only instance in which I name a story because it's impolite to do that to other stories in this context and because I know her, I created her. I can tell you that if people gave her a chance, they would be engrossed in her personality and inner motivations and the world she brings with her. There is so much to her that I won't even mention here, I'll let you explore it on your own if you're interested.

This type of OC is the most difficult to write because it requires creating a character that matches into the universe and the plot and that brings something of substance to the current canon. This is not easy, not even for the writers of the show. They tried to do a 5 type of character with Meredith, but we all know how that turned out. I enjoy this type of character the most because I feel like I'm reading more of my favorite show but with an added bonus of what if.

This is it for this rant. I feel like the vast majority of people reading this think completely different. If so, I'd like to know how you feel about the OCs in the tvd fanfiction, which are some of your favorite ones and why or which ones you hate with a passion like me. lol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear tvd fanfiction community, please don't get mad about this little rant. I'm just sharing my personal preferences.

**Author's Note:**

> If you want me to talk about something in particular, leave a comment and I'll try to get to it in another chapter.


End file.
